Information processing apparatus, television receiver, information processing method, program, and information processing system

ABSTRACT

There is provided an information processing apparatus including an operation section which performs remote control of a television receiver, and a content information acquisition section which acquires content information related to content provided by the television receiver, and causes a storage section to store the content information.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, atelevision receiver, an information processing method, a program, and aninformation processing system.

In recent years, there has been provided an apparatus having a remotecontrol function to operate a television receiver from outside. Forexample, JP 2004-320146A discloses a remote control system for changingthe state of a television receiver by operating a mobile phone.

SUMMARY

However, further improvements have been desired in the function of anapparatus which operates a device such as a television receiver fromoutside. In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide aninformation processing apparatus, a television receiver, an informationprocessing method, a program, and an information processing system,which are novel and improved, and which are capable of improvingfunctions of an apparatus having a remote control function for atelevision receiver.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is providedan information processing apparatus which includes an operation sectionwhich performs remote control of a television receiver, and a contentinformation acquisition section which acquires content informationrelated to content provided by the television receiver, and causes astorage section to store the content information.

According to such a configuration, the content information related tothe content provided by the television receiver can be used in anotherinformation processing apparatus. Here, the other information processingapparatus has a remote control function to perform remote control of thetelevision receiver. Further, the content provided by the televisionreceiver may be a broadcast program which the television receiverreceives, for example. Alternatively, the content may also be anapplication executed by the television receiver. Further, the content tobe provided means that the content can be provided, and it does notnecessarily mean that the content is being provided at that time point.

The information processing apparatus may further include a displaycontrol section which controls display of a display screen including thecontent information acquired by the content information acquisitionsection.

The information processing apparatus may further include a searchsection which searches for related information using as a keyword thecontent information acquired by the content information acquisitionsection. The display control section may control display of the displayscreen including the related information in addition to the contentinformation.

The search section may search for the related information from amonginformation stored in an external apparatus which is connected through anetwork.

The operation section may perform remote control of the televisionreceiver based on the related information included in the displayscreen.

Even after the television receiver comes into a state of not providingcontent, the display control section may update the display screenincluding the related information based on the content informationacquired by the content information acquisition section.

The operation section may change a channel received by the televisionreceiver to a channel for providing content indicated by the relatedinformation.

The content information acquisition section may acquire contentinformation related to content being provided by the televisionreceiver. When the content provided by the television receiver ischanged, the display control section may update contents of the displayscreen.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a television receiver which includes a content acquisitionsection which acquires content to be provided, a display control sectionwhich controls display of the content, and a content informationacquisition section which acquires content information related to thecontent, and transmits the acquired content information to aninformation processing apparatus that operates operation of thetelevision receiver.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided an information processing apparatus which includes an operationsection which performs remote control of a content reproductionapparatus, and a content information acquisition section which acquirescontent information related to content reproduced by the contentreproduction apparatus, and causes a storage section to store thecontent information.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided an information processing method performed by an informationprocessing apparatus including an operation section which performsremote control of a television receiver, the information processingmethod including acquiring content information related to contentprovided by the television receiver, and causing a storage section tostore the content information.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a program for causing a computer to function as an informationprocessing apparatus including an operation section which performsremote control of a television receiver, and a content informationacquisition section which acquires content information related tocontent provided by the television receiver, and causes a storagesection to store the content information.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided an information processing system which includes a televisionreceiver including a content acquisition section which acquires contentto be provided, a display control section which controls display of thecontent, and a content information acquisition section which acquirescontent information related to the content, and transmits the acquiredcontent information to an information processing apparatus that operatesoperation of the television receiver, and the information processingapparatus including an operation section which performs remote controlof the television receiver, and a content information acquisitionsection which acquires content information related to content providedby the television receiver, and causes a storage section to store thecontent information.

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure described above,functions of the apparatus having the remote control function for thetelevision receiver can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an information processing systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of an informationprocessing apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processingapparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a functional configuration diagram of a television receiveraccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a connectiondevice selection screen of the information processing apparatusaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing device search processing performedin the information processing system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the connectiondevice selection screen including an unregistered device according tothe embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing device registration processingperformed in the information processing system according to theembodiment;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the connectiondevice selection screen of the information processing apparatusaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a remotekeyboard function-operation screen of the information processingapparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing processing of acquiring a state ofthe information processing system according to the embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing detailed informationscreen-display processing performed in the information processing systemaccording to the embodiment;

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screendisplaying detailed information of remote keyboard functions of theinformation processing apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of processing on amethod of acquiring music piece information and a method of displayingthe music piece information according to the embodiment; and

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the screendisplaying detailed information of the remote keyboard functions of theinformation processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elementsthat have substantially the same function and structure are denoted withthe same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of thesestructural elements is omitted.

Note that the description will be given in the following order.

1. Outline

2. Functional configuration of information processing apparatus

3. Hardware configuration of information processing apparatus

4. Functional configuration of television receiver

5. Outline of UNR protocol

6. Operation examples

-   -   6-1. Device connection operation    -   6-2. Remote control operation    -   6-3. Display operation of detailed screen

7. Examples of effects

1. Outline

First, with reference to FIG. 1, an outline of an information processingsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an informationprocessing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

An information processing system 1 according to the present embodimenthas a plurality of devices each connected to a home network 30. Asexamples of the devices connected to the home network 30, there areshown in FIG. 1 a PC 100, a TV 200, and a BDP 300.

The PC 100 can operate the TV 200 and the BDP 300 by using apredetermined application. In this case, the PC 100 transmits operationinformation to the TV 200 and the BDP 300 through the home network 30,thereby operating the TV 200 and the BDP 300. Note that the PC 100, theTV 200, and the BDP 300 can be connected with each other through arouter 400. The router 400 is a communication device for configuring thehome network 30, and has a function of connecting the home network 30 tothe Internet 50. Further, the router 400 can also be connected to awireless access point 450. The wireless access point 450 can beconnected wirelessly to the PC 100, for example. Then, the PC 100connected to the wireless access point 450 can connect to the Internet50, the TV 200, and the BDP 300, through the wireless access point 450and the router 400.

In the present embodiment, there are shown a reproduction apparatuswhich reproduces content, and a remote control apparatus which is aninformation processing apparatus performing remote control of thereproduction apparatus through the home network 30. Hereinafter, adescription will be made of the case where the reproduction apparatus isrepresented by the TV 200, and the remote control apparatus isrepresented by the PC 100.

2. Functional Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, an example of a functional configurationof the PC 100, which is an example of an information processingapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, will bedescribed. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of aninformation processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

The PC 100 as an example of the information processing apparatusaccording to the present embodiment mainly includes a communicationsection 102, a device registration section 104, a remote controlfunction section 106, a data acquisition section 108, a storage section110, an analysis section 112, and a display control section 114.However, the functions of the storage section 110 can be replaced withstorage means connected to the outside of the PC 100 or an externalstorage means (for example, storage means of a cloud server) connectedto the Internet 50. Further, there is considered a method of using thestorage section 110 built in the PC 100 and the external storage meansin combination. For example, there is considered a method of using thestorage section 110 as a temporary storage and using the externalstorage means as a main storage. Such configurations are also includedin the configuration examples of the PC 100 according to the presentembodiment.

The communication section 102 is a communication interface configuredfrom a communication device or the like for establishing a connectionwith a communication network such as the Internet 50. For example, inthe case where the communication section 102 performs wirelesscommunication, the communication section 102 may include a communicationantenna for transmitting/receiving a signal used for the communication,a processing circuit for performing various types of signal processingfor the communication, and the like. Further, the communication section102 may be a communication interface for performing communicationthrough wire. In the present embodiment, the communication section 102is a wireless communication interface for establishing a connection withthe wireless access point 450.

The device registration section 104 has a function of registering adevice of which the PC 100 to perform remote control. In the presentembodiment, the PC 100 performs remote control of an external apparatususing a Universal Network Remote (hereinafter, referred to as UNR)protocol to be described later, thereby being able to transmit/receiveinformation. The UNR protocol defines a procedure of device registrationin order to prevent from being operated by undesired external device.The device registration section 104 can register the device to beoperated in accordance with the definition of the UNR protocol.

The remote control function section 106 has a remote control function ofperforming remote control of the device registered as the device to beoperated by the device registration section 104. The remote controlfunction section 106 can perform remote control of the device to beoperated using an input device which is connected to the PC 100 or builtin the PC 100, such as a keyboard, for example. The remote controlfunction section 106 can change the channel of the registered TV 200,for example. Further, the remote control function section 106 can changethe volume of the TV 200. Further, in the case where the TV 200 providesa display screen to which characters can be input, the remote controlfunction section 106 can input characters to the display screen of theTV 200 by operating the input device such as a keyboard connected to thePC 100.

The data acquisition section 108 has a function of acquiring varioustypes of data to be displayed on a display screen provided by thedisplay control section 114. The data acquisition section 108 has afunction as a content information acquisition section which acquirescontent information related to the content provided by the TV 200, forexample. The content information acquired in this case can include, forexample, information related to the program which is being viewed on theTV 200, information related to programs which can be viewed on the TV200, information related to the sites which have been accessed by the TV200, and information related to the applications which have beenexecuted on the TV 200. Alternatively, the data acquisition section 108functions as a search section which acquires related informationretrieved from information stored in the internal storage section 110 orinformation that can be acquired through the Internet. The dataacquisition section 108 which functions as the content informationacquisition section stores the content information acquired from the TV200 in the storage section 110. The data acquisition section 108 whichfunctions as the search section can search for the related informationbased on the acquired content information. At this time, the dataacquisition section 108 can acquire the related information related tobroadcast program content which is being received by the TV 200 (thatis, which is being viewed by the user of the TV 200), for example.

The storage section 110 has a function of storing various types of dataused in the PC 100. The storage section 110 can include a storagemedium, a recording device for recording data in the storage medium, areading device for reading out the data from the storage medium, and adeletion device for deleting the data stored in the storage medium.Examples of the storage medium used here include a non-volatile memorysuch as a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable andProgrammable Read Only Memory), an MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random AccessMemory), a FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory), and a PRAM (Phasechange Random Access Memory), and a magnetic recording medium such as anHDD (Hard Disk Drive). In the present embodiment, the storage section110 stores the content information acquired by the data acquisitionsection 108, history information in various types of applicationexecuted by the PC 100, and the like. Further, the storage section 110can further store the analysis result obtained by the analysis section112.

Note that, in the content information acquired by the data acquisitionsection 108, there are also included data type that should not be storedin the storage section 110 and data type that cannot be stored in thestorage section 110. The pieces of content information of those datatypes may not be stored in the storage section 110. The pieces ofcontent information of those data types are acquired by the dataacquisition section 108 each time when they are used by applications. Inthis way, it is preferred that the method of acquiring the contentinformation and the method of storing the content information beswitched in accordance with the data type.

The analysis section 112 has a function of analyzing information relatedto the user of the PC 100 or the apparatus of which the PC 100 performsremote control, such as content information acquired by the dataacquisition section 108 or the history information in the PC 100. Theanalysis section 112 can generate preference information of the user,for example. According to the configuration of the PC 100 according tothe present embodiment, the preference information or the like can begenerated based not only on an action history of the user inside the PC100, but also on action history of the user in an external apparatus,such as the content information acquired by the data acquisition section108.

The display control section 114 has a function of controlling display ofthe display screen displayed on a display device. The display controlsection 114 can control the display of the display screen, which is forregistering, by the device registration section 104, an externalapparatus as the device to be operated, for example. Alternatively, thedisplay control section 114 can control the display of the displayscreen for the remote control function section 106 to operate the TV200. Further, the display control section 114 can control the display ofa display screen including at least one of the content information orthe related information acquired by the data acquisition section 108. Anexample of the display screen controlled by the display control section114 will be described later.

Heretofore, an example of the function of the PC 100 according to thepresent embodiment has been shown. Each of the above structural elementsmay be configured using general-purpose members or circuits, or may beconfigured using hardware specialized for the function of eachstructural element. Further, the function of each structural element maybe realized by reading out, by an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (CentralProcessing Unit), a control program from the storage medium such as aROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores thecontrol program in which procedures for realizing those functions arewritten, and by interpreting and executing the program. Therefore, theconfiguration to be used can be changed appropriately in accordance withthe technical level each time when the embodiment is carried out.

Note that there may be produced a computer program for realizing eachfunction of the PC 100 according to the present embodiment as describedabove, and the computer program can be implemented in a personalcomputer or the like. Further, there can also be provided acomputer-readable recording medium in which the computer program isstored. Examples of the recording medium include a magnetic disk, anoptical disc, a magneto-optical disk, and a flash memory. Further, thecomputer program may be distributed through a network, without using therecording medium, for example.

3. Hardware Configuration of Information Processing Apparatus

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of a hardware configurationof the PC 100, which is an example of the information processingapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, will bedescribed. FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the informationprocessing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

The PC 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (ReadOnly Memory) 103, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 105, a host bus 107, abridge 109, an external bus 111, an interface 113, an input device 115,an output device 117, a storage device 119, a drive 121, and acommunication device 123.

The CPU 101 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a controlunit, and controls entire operation of the PC 100 in accordance withvarious programs. Further, the CPU 101 may be a microprocessor. The ROM103 stores a program, a calculation parameter, and the like used by theCPU 101. The RAM 105 temporarily stores a program used in execution ofthe CPU 101, a parameter varying as appropriate during the execution,and the like. They are connected with each other via the host bus 107configured from a CPU bus or the like.

The host bus 107 is connected to the external bus 111 such as a PCI(Peripheral Component Interconnect/Interface) bus through the bridge109. Note that it is not necessary that the host bus 107, the bridge109, and the external bus 111 be configured separately, and thefunctions thereof may be implemented in one bus.

The input device 115 is configured from, for example, input means forinputting information by a user, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touchpanel, a button, a microphone, a switch, and a lever, and an inputcontrol circuit which generates an input signal based on the input bythe user and outputs the generated input signal to the CPU 101. The userof the PC 100 can input desired operation information to the displayscreen by operating the input device 115.

The output device 117 is configured from, for example, display devicessuch as a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an OLED (Organic LightEmitting Diode) device, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, and alamp, and audio output devices such as a speaker and headphones. Theoutput device 117 outputs reproduced content, for example. Specifically,the display device displays various types of reproduced information suchas video data in text or image form. On the other hand, the audio outputdevice converts reproduced audio data or the like into a sound andoutputs the sound.

The storage device 119 is a device for storing data, which is configuredas an example of the storage section of the PC 100 according to thepresent embodiment, and can include a storage medium, a recording devicefor recording data in the storage medium, a reading device for readingout the data from the storage medium, and a deletion device for deletingthe data recorded in the storage medium.

Examples of the storage medium to be used here include a magneticrecording medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and a non-volatilememory such as an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ReadOnly Memory), a flash memory, an MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random AccessMemory), a FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory), and a PRAM (Phasechange Random Access Memory).

The drive 121 is a reader/writer for the storage medium and is built inor externally attached to the PC 100. The drive 121 reads outinformation recorded in a removable storage medium 60 which is mountedthereto, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disc, a magneto-opticaldisk, or a semiconductor memory, and outputs the information to the RAM105.

The communication device 123 is a communication interface which isconfigured from, for example, a communication device for establishing aconnection with the Internet 50. In addition, the communication device123 may be a wireless LAN (Local Area Network)-enabled communicationdevice, a wireless USB-enabled communication device, or a wiredcommunication device for performing wired communication.

4. Functional Configuration of Television Receiver

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, an example of a functional configurationof a television receiver according to the present embodiment will bedescribed. FIG. 4 is a functional configuration diagram of a televisionreceiver according to the present embodiment.

The TV 200 mainly includes a communication section 202, a metadataacquisition section 204, a content acquisition section 206, a displaycontrol section 208, a storage section 210, and an analysis section 212.Further, the TV 200 can connect to the home network 30 through thecommunication section 202, and can operate in accordance with operationinformation input via the home network 30.

Note that the functions of the storage section 210 can be replaced withstorage means connected to the outside of the TV 200 or an externalstorage means (for example, storage means of a cloud server) connectedto the Internet 50. Further, there is considered a method of using thestorage section 210 built in the TV 200 and the external storage meansin combination. For example, there is considered a method of using thestorage section 210 as a temporary storage and using the externalstorage means as a main storage. Such configurations are also includedin the configuration examples of the TV 200 according, to the presentembodiment.

The communication section 202 is a communication interface configuredfrom a communication device or the like for establishing a connectionwith communication networks such as the home network 30 and the Internet50. For example, in the case where the communication section 202performs wireless communication, the communication section 202 mayinclude a communication antenna for transmitting/receiving a signal usedfor the communication, a processing circuit for performing various typesof signal processing for the communication, and the like. Further, thecommunication section 202 may be a communication interface forperforming communication through wire. In the present embodiment, thecommunication section 202 is a communication interface for establishinga connection through wire.

The metadata acquisition section 204 has a function of acquiring contentinformation related to content acquired by the content acquisitionsection. For example, the metadata acquisition section 204 can acquiremetadata included in the content acquired by the content acquisitionsection 206 as it is as the content information. Alternatively, themetadata acquisition section 204 may acquire content informationgenerated by the analysis executed by the analysis section 212 based onthe content acquired by the content acquisition section 206. Themetadata acquisition section 204 transmits the acquired contentinformation to the PC 100 through the communication section 202.

The content acquisition section 206 has a function of acquiring contentprovided by the TV 200. For example, the content acquisition section 206may function as an image receiving section which acquires TV programcontent by receiving a broadcast wave provided by the broadcast station.Alternatively, the content acquisition section 206 may acquire contentprovided by being connected to the Internet 50 through the communicationsection 202. The content acquired here may be, for example, videocontent, application content, or content including music data such asmusic, a lecture, and a radio program.

The display control section 208 may include a display device whichdisplays a display screen and a control section which controls theoperation of the display device. The display control section 208 canprovide a broadcast program acquired by the content acquisition section206. Alternatively, the display control section 208 can provide varioustypes of information (for example, information of data broadcasting andthe like) that is associated with the broadcast program to be provided.Alternatively, in the case where the content acquisition section 206acquires program content such as an application through a network, thedisplay control section 208 can control the display screen such that theprogram is executed and provided.

The storage section 210 has a function of storing various types of dataused in the TV 200. The storage section 210 can include a storagemedium, a recording device for recording data in the storage medium, areading device for reading out the data from the storage medium, and adeletion device for deleting the data stored in the storage medium.Examples of the storage medium used here include a non-volatile memorysuch as a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable andProgrammable Read Only Memory), an MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random AccessMemory), a FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory), and a PRAM (Phasechange Random Access Memory), and a magnetic recording medium such as anHDD (Hard Disk Drive). The storage section 210 can store the analysisresult obtained by the analysis section 212, for example.

The analysis section 212 can generate content information by analyzingthe content acquired by the content acquisition section 206. Further,the analysis section 212 can also analyze the user's preference based onthe content information and user history information stored in thestorage section 210. The analysis section 212 may store the analysisresult in the storage section 210.

Heretofore, an example of the function of the TV 200 according to thepresent embodiment has been shown. Each of the above structural elementsmay be configured using general-purpose members or circuits, or may beconfigured using hardware specialized for the function of eachstructural element. Further, the function of each structural element maybe realized by reading out, by an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (CentralProcessing Unit), a control program from the storage medium such as aROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores thecontrol program in which procedures for realizing those functions arewritten, and by interpreting and executing the program. Therefore, theconfiguration to be used can be changed appropriately in accordance withthe technical level each time when the embodiment is carried out.

5. Outline of UNR Protocol

In the above, the description has been made on the informationprocessing system in which the PC 100 operates the operation of the TV200. The information processing system is realized by using a protocol(in this specification, this protocol is referred to as UNR protocol)which defines a processing procedure of, between a plurality of devicesconnected to each other through a network, operating by one deviceanother device, transmitting/receiving information, and monitoring thestate.

The UNR protocol is a protocol which is defined such that IP (InternetProtocol) network-enabled devices perform operation between the devices,and thereby enabling the information of the devices, character stringinformation, content information, and the like to be transferredtherebetween. Further, the UNR protocol is used between a device havingthe client function and a device having the server function. In theexample described above, the PC 100 has the client function and the TV200 has the server function. With such a configuration, the PC 100 andthe TV 200 can realize each of the functions described above.Hereinafter, the device having the server function in the UNR protocolis referred to as UNR server, and the device having the client functionin the UNR protocol is referred to as UNR client.

Here, the UNR server and the UNR client may be associated with eachother on a one-to-one basis through a LAN or a Wireless LAN in a homenetwork, for example. Further, a plurality of UNR clients may beassociated with one UNR server. Alternatively, a plurality of UNRservers may be associated with one UNR client.

The UNR server and the UNR client can each detect a device to beconnected to, and can also each realize a device-control function whichis equivalent to that of the infrared remote controller-control, bymainly using a UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) and a IRCC-IP (InfraredCompatible Control Over Internet Protocol) which is obtained byIP-networking an infrared remote controller-control code. Further, theUNR server and the UNR client each realize device control and transferof information that cannot be realized by the IRCC-IP, by using aCERS-API (Consumer Electronics Remote Service-API). The CERS-API is anAPI which uses an HTTP request.

Hereinafter, there will be described operation examples of theinformation processing system according to the present embodiment, whichare realized by using functions of the UNR server and the NR clientdescribed above.

6. Operation Examples 6-1. Device Connection Operation

First, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, operations for connecting devicesto each other will be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagramshowing an example of a connection device selection screen of theinformation processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing device search processing performedin the information processing system according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of theconnection device selection screen including an unregistered deviceaccording to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagramshowing device registration processing performed in the informationprocessing system according to the present embodiment.

First, a user M operates the PC 100 which functions as the UNR client,and searches for a UNR server, registers the UNR server, and starts upan application for establishing connection with the server. Hereinafter,the function provided by the application is referred to as remotekeyboard function. When the application is started up, the connectiondevice selection screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. Here, on theconnection device selection screen, there are displayed the deviceswhich have already been registered as devices that the PC 100 canconnect to. In the case where the user M wants to register a new deviceother than the displayed devices, the user M presses “REGISTER NEWDEVICE” button 602.

When the user M presses the “REGISTER NEW DEVICE” button 602, the devicesearch processing shown in FIG. 6 is executed. Referring to FIG. 6,first, when the user M presses the “REGISTER NEW DEVICE” button 602(S101), the PC 100 transmits a UPnP search message to a device which thePC 100 can connect to through the home network 30, such as the TV 200(S103). The PC 100 receives a response from each device which the PC 100can connect to through the home network 30, such as the TV 200 (S105).Then, the PC 100 transmits a “DeviceDescription” acquisition request tothe device which has sent the response with respect to the device-searchmessage (S107). A device such as the TV 200 sends back“DeviceDescription” in response to the request of Step S107 (S109).

The PC 100 determines whether each device is a UNR device based on theinformation included in the acquired “DeviceDescription”. Then, whetherthe UNR device is registered/unregistered in the PC 100 is determined.Whether the device is the UNR device is determined based on whether an“X_UNR_DeviceInfo” tag is present in “DeviceDescription”. That is, inthe case where the “X_UNR_DeviceInfo” tag is present in the“DeviceDescription”, it is determined that the device is the UNR device,and in the case where the “X_UNR_DeviceInfo” tag is not present in the“DeviceDescription”, it is determined that the device is not the UNRdevice. Further, whether a device is registered/unregistered in the PC100 is determined based on whether the device is included in aregistration list held within the PC 100.

Further, the PC 100 transmits a “CERS_ActionList” acquisition request tothe unregistered UNR device (S111). The device which receives theacquisition request of Step S111 sends back “CERS_ActionList” (S113).The above processing is repeated to the device which sends the response,and then the PC 100 generates, and provides the user M with, anunregistered device screen (S115).

Here, FIG. 7 shows the unregistered device screen. In this screen, theunregistered device recognized in the device search processing of FIG. 6is shown side-by-side with the already registered devices. In thisscreen, when the unregistered device is selected, the deviceregistration processing shown in FIG. 8 is executed. Here, let us assumethat the BDP 300 is in an unregistered state, and there will bedescribed a flow of operation for registering the BDP 300.

For the device registration, first, the user M operates the BDP 300,which is the device to be registered, and gives an instruction to startthe device registration (S201). Then, the BDP 300 enters a deviceregistration-waiting state. In this sate, the user M selects a BDP icon603 on the unregistered device screen shown in FIG. 7, and therebygiving an instruction to execute the device registration (S203), the PC100 transmits a “CERS_API” registration command to the BDP 300 (S205).The value of “registrationType”, initial, indicates that it is a newregistration. In response to the command of Step S205, the BDP 300executes registration processing in accordance with UNR definition.After that, when the PC 100 is notified of the fact that theregistration processing of the BDP 300 is completed (S207), the PC 100generates a screen for notifying the user M of the fact that theregistration is completed and provide the screen to the user M (S209).

6-2. Remote Control Operation

Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, operations for performing remotecontrol of a connection device will be described. FIG. 9 is anexplanatory diagram showing an example of the connection deviceselection screen of the information processing apparatus according tothe present embodiment. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing anexample of a remote keyboard function-operation screen of theinformation processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing processing of acquiring a state ofthe information processing system according to the present embodiment.

When the registration processing of the BDP 300 is completed, there isprovided a connection device selection screen shown in FIG. 9, forexample. Here, the user M can select a device to be operated. Here, thecase where the TV 200 is operated will be described. Accordingly, theuser M selects an icon 604, which represents the TV 200, on theconnection device selection screen shown in FIG. 9. Then, a remotekeyboard function screen shown in FIG. 10 is displayed, for example.

The PC 100 can operate the TV 200 by operating a keyboard in accordancewith a keyboard assignment 606 shown on the remote keyboard functionscreen. For example, when the user M performs remote control operationusing the keyboard in accordance with the keyboard assignment 606(S301), the PC 100 transmits the input key (S303), and the TV 200operates in accordance with the transmitted key. Further, the TV 200sends back a response to the PC 100 (S305).

Further, the PC 100 polls the state of the TV 200 at regular intervalsby using a “getStatus” action. For example, the PC 100 can performpolling twice per second. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 11,in response to the state acquisition action (S307) from the PC 100, theTV 200 sends “TextInput” representing a character string-input state(S309). As the state of the TV 200, there is considered acurrently-viewing state, for example, in addition to the characterstring-input state. Further, in the case of the BDP 300, there isconsidered a disc inserted state. The TV 200 may send back one state, ora plurality of states. Alternatively, there is also a case where the TV200 does not send back a state.

For example, in the case where the TV 200 sends back the characterstring-input state, the TV 200 is in a state capable oftransmitting/receiving a character string. Further, in the case wherethe TV 200 sends back the currently-viewing state, the currently-viewingstate may include class information (such as video, music, and URL) ofthe content being viewed, source information (such as CD, DVD, BD,Broadcast, ExtInput, and Net) of the content being viewed, informationrelated to reproduction time of the content being viewed, andinformation of reproduction rate of the content being viewed.

Further, in the case where the BDP 300 sends back the disc insertedstate, the BDP 300 may include therein information on the type of theinserted disc, and may transmit the disc inserted state to the PC 100.

6-3. Display Operation of Detailed Screen

Next, with reference to FIG. 10, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13, displayoperations of a detailed screen will be described. FIG. 12 is a sequencediagram showing detailed information screen-display processing performedin the information processing system according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of ascreen displaying detailed information of remote keyboard functions ofthe information processing apparatus according to the presentembodiment.

Further, in the remote keyboard function screen shown in FIG. 10, whenthe user M presses a “display detailed information” button 608, thecontent information acquisition processing shown in FIG. 12 is executed.Note that, the content information acquisition processing may beexecuted at a predetermined timing regardless of whether the user Mpresses the “display detailed information” button 608, and the detailedinformation screen may be displayed at a timing at which the user Mpresses the “display detailed information” button 608. However, here,the description will be continued on the assumption that the processingshown in FIG. 12 is executed at a timing at which the user M presses the“display detailed information” button 608.

When the user M presses the “display detailed information” button 608shown in FIG. 10 (S401), the PC 100 executes a “getContentInformation”action of “CERS_API” to the TV 200 (S403). In response to the action ofStep S403, the TV 200 transmits content information as a response(S405). The PC 100 stores the acquired content information in thestorage section 110, and also generates a detailed information screenbased on the content information and provides the user M with thedetailed information screen (S407).

FIG. 13 shows an example of the detailed screen. For example, thedetailed screen can include a viewing-information box 610 containinginformation on the broadcast program content which is being viewed, arelated information box 612 containing related information retrievedfrom pieces of information inside and outside of the PC 100 based on theacquired content information, and a history box 614 containing historyinformation related to content provided by the TV 200. In the historybox 614, history information of Internet applications accessed by the TV200, and the like are included, for example. When the content providedby the TV 200 is changed, the detailed screen may be updated inaccordance with the change.

The PC 100 can activate a browser in a separate window while being inthe state in which the detailed screen is displayed. Further, a keyboardis connected to or built in the PC 100. Accordingly, the user M can copya character string displayed on the detailed screen and can paste thecharacter string in a search box of the browser, for example. In thisway, the convenience of using information displayed on the detailedscreen is remarkably enhanced. For example, when attempting to use thedetailed information displayed on the display device of the TV 200, itbecomes unnecessary to perform typing to the PC 100 while referring tothe screen of the TV 200.

Further, in the related information box 612, information such as arecommended program based on the content information may be contained.In this case, the information displayed in the related information box612 may be linked to Internet content. According to such aconfiguration, the user M can view other content of interest only byclicking the character string displayed in the related information box612. Further, by clicking information displayed in the relatedinformation box 612, the remote control function section 106 may beoperated and a channel of the TV 200 may be changed.

Further, the following configuration can also be considered regardingmusic content played in the TV 200. For example, the content informationof the music content played in the TV 200 may be displayed inchronological order in the related information box 612. Further, basedon content information of music content a part of which is played in theTV 200, the user M may be notified, using the related information box612, that a music piece corresponding to the music content or anothermusic piece (with the same artist or genre) related to the music pieceis included in the device connected to the home network 30.

According to such a configuration, the user M is made aware that thereis a target music piece under management of the storage section 110 ofthe PC 100 or the DLNA, and it becomes possible that the user Mrecognizes that the music piece can be fully reproduced. Of course, therelated information box 612 may display directly that a music piecewhich can be fully reproduced is included in the home network 30. Theuser M, who sees such a display can reproduce and enjoy the music piecelater. Note that the location of the music piece (whether it is in thePC 100 or in another device) may be displayed in the related informationbox 612.

Here, the function of displaying content information of music content inthe related information box 612 will be described in more detail.

There is considered a service for searching for a music piece a part ofwhich is played in the TV 200 or a music piece related to the musicpiece. When viewing the TV 200, we realize that another music piece suchas BGM is played during a program, during a commercial, during playbackof a BD film, or during playing a game. No attention is paid to such amusic piece in many cases, but sometimes, there may be occasions that wefeel “nostalgic”, “like it”, “want to listen to it more”, and the like.However, since a music piece like BGM finishes within several seconds inmany cases, it may be difficult that the user M who has listened to themusic piece finds the music piece by using as a clue a fragment of themusic piece that the user M has listened to. Therefore, it is beneficialto the user M that the user M is notified of the information of themusic piece played in the TV 200, moment by moment.

Further, many users M each manage music piece data in the PC 100 or thelike. In some cases, there may be a user M who manages the music piecedata in a device within the home network 30, such as a DLNA server.Further, occasions in which the user M who purchases the music piecedata through the Internet 50 are also increasing. For those reasons, theuser M may want to know, as information of the music piece played in theTV 200, information as to whether there is the music piece under themanagement of the user M, whether the music piece is in a state thatmusic piece can be purchased through the Internet 50, and the like. Inaddition, if the user M can bookmark the music piece that the user Mlikes among the music pieces played in the TV 200, it can be consideredthat the convenience is enhanced.

For example, information of a music piece is displayed in the relatedinformation box 612 in the mechanism shown in FIG. 14. First, the TV 200executes a search for the music piece (S1). In this case, for example,the TV 200 accesses a music information providing service through theInternet 50, and searches for the information of the music piece whichhas been played using the music information providing service. When thedesired music piece is detected, the music information providing serviceprovides the TV 200 with a music piece ID of the detected music piece(S2). Next, the TV 200 passes the music piece ID acquired from the musicinformation providing service to the PC 100 (S3). After that, the PC 100stores the music piece ID acquired from the TV 200 in the storagesection 110 or in an external storage means (S4).

Next, the PC 100 provides the music information providing service withthe music piece ID acquired from the TV 200 (S5), and acquires the musicpiece information corresponding to the music piece ID (S6). Then, the PC100 displays the music piece information acquired from the musicinformation providing service in the related information box 612 (S7).Note that, in the case where the PC 100 acquires a new music piece IDfrom the TV 200 or in the case where the music piece information isupdated in the music information providing service, the PC 100 providesthe music information providing service with the music piece ID,re-acquires music piece information, and replace the display content ofthe related information box 612 with the acquired music pieceinformation. According to such a mechanism, the music piece informationof the music piece played in the TV 200 can be displayed in the relatedinformation box 612.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15, in the related information box 612,there are displayed music piece information, locations of the musicpiece, and the like. Note that the PC 100 or the TV 200 can search forthe location of the music piece stored in the storage section 110 or inthe external storage means of the PC 100 by using the music piece ID.Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 15, the PC 100 can display the detectedlocation of the music piece in the related information box 612. Further,the PC 100 can also use the music piece ID to perform a search as towhether the music piece corresponding to the music piece ID ispurchasable through the Internet 50. For example, the PC 100 accessesmusic piece-selling site on the Internet 50 and searches for the musicpiece by setting the music piece ID as a search key, thereby detectingwhether the music piece is in the purchasable state.

By applying such a configuration, when the user M wants to fullyreproduce a music piece played in the TV 200, it becomes possible forthe user M to quickly recognize the existence of the music piece, or toquickly purchase the music piece. Further, by pressing a “Bookmark”button in the related information box 612 shown in FIG. 14, the musicpiece can be easily bookmarked. As a result thereof, the user M canfully reproduce and enjoy the music piece played in the TV 200 anytimethe user M likes.

7. Examples of Effects

As described above, according to the information processing systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the informationbased on the operation of the TV 200 can be used in the PC 100, such asthe information on a broadcast program to be viewed in the TV 200 andhistory information of the Internet application accessed from the TV200.

Further, the PC 100 stores the acquired content information in thestorage section 110 built in the PC 100, and thereby being capable ofreflecting, on the analysis of user's preference, information such as aprogram-viewing history and an Internet application-execution history onthe TV 200.

Further, the PC 100 can display the acquired content information and therelated information retrieved based on the content information on thedisplay screen of the PC 100. Accordingly, the user can see the attachedinformation while continuing to view a program in a full-screen mode onthe TV 200.

Further, the PC 100 can activate another application such as a browserin parallel with the detailed screen based on the content information.Consequently, the user M performs copy and paste of any character stringfrom content information, and thereby being capable of easily performingan Internet search and related video reproduction. Further, with theoperation performed to the detailed screen, the TV 200 can be operatedbased on the displayed related information. Specifically, by clicking acharacter string displayed in the related information box 612, thechannel of the TV 200 may be changed to the program that the clickedcharacter string indicates. According to such a configuration, thedisplay can be easily switched to the content of interest while seeingthe detailed screen.

Further, also after the TV 200 enters into a standby state or apower-down state and the connection between the TV 200 and the PC 100 iscut off, the PC 100 can update and display the related information boxof the detailed screen based on the content information which has beenacquired up to then. For example, from the channel information which hasbeen viewed, the content information of the program which can be viewedmay be acquired and displayed, based on the current time. Alternatively,there may be displayed a result obtained by a keyword search which isperformed based on the title of the program that has been viewed.According to such a configuration, in the case of viewing a sportsbroadcast, comments on the match or the like is automatically retrievedand displayed.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the informationprocessing apparatus is represented by a PC, but the present disclosureis not limited to such an example. For example, the informationprocessing apparatus may be a device such as a game device for home use,a consumer electronics device, a mobile phone, a mobile informationterminal, or a portable video processing device. The informationprocessing apparatus may be any device as long as it mainly has adisplay section, or it is connected to a display device.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the apparatus whichfunctions as the UNR server is represented by a television receiver, butthe present disclosure is not limited to such an example. For example,the apparatus may be a device such as a video processing apparatus forhome use. In the above, the description has been made on the method ofperforming, based on the UNR protocol, processing related to the devicesearch, device registration, and connection between devices. However, ifthere is a method which can realize the device search, deviceregistration, and connection between devices in the same manner as inthe case of using the UNR protocol, the method can be applied and thetechnology according to the present embodiment can be modified. Also,communication means between devices is not limited to the communicationmeans exemplified by FIG. 1. Such modification is also within the scopeof the present embodiment.

Note that in the present specification, the steps written in thesequence diagram may of course be processed in chronological order inaccordance with the stated order, but may not necessarily be processedin the chronological order, and may be processed individually or in aparallel manner. It is needless to say that, in the case where the stepsare processed in the chronological order, the order of the steps may bechanged appropriately according to circumstances.

The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that disclosedin Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2011-011414 filed in theJapan Patent Office on Jan. 21, 2011, the entire content of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

1. An information processing apparatus comprising: an operation sectionwhich performs remote control of a television receiver; and a contentinformation acquisition section which acquires content informationrelated to content provided by the television receiver, and causes astorage section to store the content information.
 2. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a displaycontrol section which controls display of a display screen including thecontent information acquired by the content information acquisitionsection.
 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,further comprising a search section which searches for relatedinformation using as a keyword the content information acquired by thecontent information acquisition section, wherein the display controlsection controls display of the display screen including the relatedinformation in addition to the content information.
 4. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the search sectionsearches for the related information from among information stored in anexternal apparatus which is connected through a network.
 5. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein theoperation section performs remote control of the television receiverbased on the related information included in the display screen.
 6. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, evenafter the television receiver comes into a state of not providingcontent, the display control section updates the display screenincluding the related information based on the content informationacquired by the content information acquisition section.
 7. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein theoperation section changes a channel received by the television receiverto a channel for providing content indicated by the related information.8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe content information acquisition section acquires content informationrelated to content being provided by the television receiver, andwherein, when the content provided by the television receiver ischanged, the display control section updates contents of the displayscreen.
 9. A television receiver comprising: a content acquisitionsection which acquires content to be provided; a display control sectionwhich controls display of the content; and a content informationacquisition section which acquires content information related to thecontent, and transmits the acquired content information to aninformation processing apparatus that operates operation of thetelevision receiver.
 10. An information processing apparatus comprising:an operation section which performs remote control of a contentreproduction apparatus; and a content information acquisition sectionwhich acquires content information related to content reproduced by thecontent reproduction apparatus, and causes a storage section to storethe content information.
 11. An information processing method performedby an information processing apparatus including an operation sectionwhich performs remote control of a television receiver, the informationprocessing method comprising: acquiring content information related tocontent provided by the television receiver; and causing a storagesection to store the content information.
 12. A program for causing acomputer to function as an information processing apparatus including anoperation section which performs remote control of a televisionreceiver, and a content information acquisition section which acquirescontent information related to content provided by the televisionreceiver, and causes a storage section to store the content information.13. An information processing system comprising: a television receiverincluding a content acquisition section which acquires content to beprovided, a display control section which controls display of thecontent, and a content information acquisition section which acquirescontent information related to the content, and transmits the acquiredcontent information to an information processing apparatus that operatesoperation of the television receiver; and the information processingapparatus including an operation section which performs remote controlof the television receiver, and a content information acquisitionsection which acquires content information related to content providedby the television receiver, and causes a storage section to store thecontent information.